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Cat Constipation

5K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  spirite 
#1 ·
My cat has been constipated for the last few weeks. Usually he gets constipated once a year, he takes a car ride to the vet and goes in the car. He gets blood work and its all fine. He goes home and all is good. Not this time though.

It started on a Sunday or Monday. Thursday evening I decided I would call the vet in the morning, which when I did I realized he hadn't urinated in 24 hours. So the vet of course was much more concerned about that then the fact that he hadn't had a bowel movement. On the way to the vet, he went in the car so the vet really didn't address his constipation much. Long story short, he urinated on the vet so since the constipation had happened first, she said it was likely the constipation that caused him not to urinate. He went home with a sedative and a pain killer for the weekend. The vet told me I could give him a quarter teaspoon of miralax every day in his wet food to help prevent future constipation, which I started him on.

By that Sunday he hadn't gone again and I was worried about him stopping urinating if it went too long. I had read on petmd that cats could have 1-4 teaspoons of miralax so out of panic I gave him 1 teaspoon and a can of tuna in oil, which was a suggestion by someone. He went Monday morning.

Early Wednesday morning he started scratching around in the litter box trying to go, but he couldn't. So I repeated the 1 teaspoon of Miralax and tuna in oil. I called the vet and she told me to increase the miralax to twice a day and that I could syringe it in with water if neccessary. I forgot to tell her I gave him 1 teaspoon that day. He went that night. I also put out two more bowls of water so that he would hopefully drink more.

Now we get to Saturday (yesterday) and he hasn't gone again. He wasn't going to the litter box to try at all, that I know of. One person told me it takes miralax awhile to get in the system. Another told me it will take awhile for his bowel movements to adjust. I am just panicking because I don't want him to stop urinating. So I gave him tuna in oil again. I forgot to give him any miralax. By early evening he still hadn't gone, so, like the vet suggested I gave him miralax via one of those syringes they use to squirt stuff in their mouth. Because there was some residue in the cup I mixed and because he spit some out, I am not sure how much of a dose he got. A few hours later he went.

So at this point I don't know if its the tuna in oil or an increased dose of miralax that's helping him go. I don't know if I should call the vet tomorrow or wait a few more days. Anything I do is going to be delayed because I am on a fixed income and have no money left for the month. So I have to call a cat rescue that helps pay the bills and you pay them back to see if they will help first. I don't know if I am overreacting and his bowel movements will adjust back to normal over time or if they should be back to normal by now. I have anxiety and it gets bad when my cat's health is involved so I worry so much I don't know when I am just overreacting.

Some other notes: I tried olive oil in his food he wouldn't touch it. A few years back the very first time he got constipated I gave him pumpkin in his food and he choked, so I am afraid to ever try that again. I don't drive myself, so I haven't taken him for another car ride, which the vet one year suggested I do when he gets backed up. Also, my cat is diabetic, he likely was when I rescued him, so the vet tech told me not to mess with his diet because they don't want his caloric intake to change.
 
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#2 ·
Hi DeliaSakari,

I'm sorry that your kitty (what's his name?) is having issues with constipation.

Ideally, you'd be able to figure out what's causing the constipation so that you can try to prevent it. But kitties do sometimes develop issues with constipation as they get older. How old is your kitty?

Prevention-wise, keeping well-hydrated is key. You're already doing great things by giving him wet food and putting out more water bowls. If he's not eating 100% wet, I'd try to switch him over. Is he usually a good water drinker? To further encourage him, put the water bowls in areas where he spends the most time, so that he never has to go very far to find one.

I'm guessing that it's the Miralax, not the tuna in oil, that's helping him. At any rate, tuna in oil isn't something that you'd want to give your kitty on a regular basis. But it's perfectly safe to give Miralax every day, and it is most effective as a preventive measure. My kitty was on it daily for 4 or 5 years. Because it's dose-to-effect, you can adjust the amount you give based on the results. Has your kitty's poo been hard or soft? If he's pooping, but it's hard, I wouldn't hesitate to up the amount of Miralax. But most important, don't take a break: give it every day. I dissolved the Miralax thoroughly in a little water before mixing it into wet food.

So right now, he did poo last night (Sat)? Then it's not an emergency (unless he can't pee). This was with 1 tsp Miralax twice a day? That's a pretty high amount, but if that's what it took to work, I wouldn't decrease the amount until you see that his poo is too soft. Then you can back off.

There's nothing like having a constipated kitty to show you just how much time you can spend worrying about kitty poo! :)
 
#3 ·
He's a rescue so I don't know for sure how old he is. The estimate is 11-12 years.

He's ok with drinking water. I never know how to tell because he is my first cat so I have no way to compare it.

As for the miralax the twice a day was the 1/4 tsp. Yesterday I gave him 1 tsp only once. His poop was soft when he went. He doesn't seem to want to go on the 1/4 tsp. Unless its just taking him a few days. This is where I don't know what to do. He goes a day or two without even trying to go. So I am not sure if that's just him regulating or if that's something to worry about.

When the vet's secretary told me over the phone to increase the miralax I mentioned that I could give him two can's of wet food a day. She said not to change his diet because of his being diabetic.
 
#4 ·
How's your kitty doing? Have you been able to keep constipation at bay?

If you see him drinking water from the bowl, that's a good thing. Many kitties don't seem to ever drink. Plus, since he's on a wet food diet, that'll help.

Have you tried giving just a little bit of plain canned pumpkin (or even squash)?
 
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